


Settle Down Under the Sun

by matchst_ck



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: 7x11 spoilers kind of but better? hopefully, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bilingual Character(s), Canon Compliant, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Domestic Mickey Milkovich, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I'm Sorry, Idiots in Love, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Mickey & Ian should be happy beans, POV Ian Gallagher, POV Mickey, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 13:58:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9327998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matchst_ck/pseuds/matchst_ck
Summary: "You’re not entirely sure exactly when you fell in love with Ian Gallagher.You only know that you did. You fell hard, fast and so completely and irrevocably in love that you knownothingyou do,no-oneyou meet, will ever cancel out how you feel about him."---Or what could've happened if Ian had waved 'hasta luego!' to the USA at the border.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I actually really enjoyed writing this but I'm worried about it and I'm not sure why, but I think it turned out alright! It's just a lot of Mickey thinking and then some talking and then some duct taping over the cracks in my heart. I hope whoever chooses to read enjoys and I would love to know what you think :)

You’re not entirely sure exactly when you fell in love with Ian Gallagher.

You only know that you did. You fell hard, fast and so completely and irrevocably in love that you know _nothing_ you do, _no-one_ you meet, will ever cancel out how you feel about him.

You gave him your heart, as broken as it was, patched together sloppily. It was the best you could do, it was all you had to give. He’s dropped it a few times, felt like he’s given it a good kicking occasionally but you know you’re not completely innocent. You’ve given as good as you’ve gotten in the past. 

Your life hasn’t been easy. It’s been blow after blow, and not in a good way. You’ve fought so many fights, _with_ Ian, _against_ Ian, against the nature in which you were brought up to get to where you are now. You’d be proud of yourself but you’re not sure what that feeling is. Ian’s been trying to teach you, tells you all the time. 

You lean back against the mango tree in your small, tidy yard and push your sunglasses further up your nose as you take advantage of the shade. Glancing up at the mangoes makes you smile, Ian likes to try new things with them - waste not want not and all that - and you weren’t shy about telling him just how disgusting his mango cheesecake really was. He laughed - you both laughed - before scraping the topping off and chowing down on the biscuit base. 

Speaking of Ian, you glance down at your watch - he should be home soon. Home. Ian. Two words so closely associated for years now in your mind that you can’t imagine one without the other, though you’ve had to live without both for such stretches of time that you never thought you’d be here again. It’s hard, even now, to feel completely at ease with it, to feel like the rug isn’t going to be pulled out from beneath your feet at a moment’s notice and Ian is going to disappear and you’re going to wake up again in that shabby cot with your snoring cellmate and tears running down the side of your face.

It wakes you in the night sometimes. Makes you shoot up in bed, clutching your heart, feeling like it’s being squeezed to aching point, lungs burning for air. You never aim to wake him but he does, bleary but alert, pulling you back down into his arms regardless of the heat in the room, murmuring words of reassurance, love.

He does that all the time now. Like he’s trying to engrave it in your mind sometimes, so casually at others. But he reaffirms his feelings for you. You notice them all the more now with how long you had to live without. The touches, always touching you. A hand here, a stroke there. Lips in hair, on skin, whispering words of love against yours. It was overwhelming at first, you wanted nothing more than to hear it but sometimes you couldn’t take it. Ian, as Ian is wont to do, continued. Pushing and pushing until you easily accepted them, stored them away in a safe place in your memory that’s full to the brim but the love keeps coming. 

You see him sometimes, catch him just staring at you when he thinks you’re not paying attention. It worried you the first time until you realised he was smiling. That soft, almost dopey look has become one of your favourites, but you won’t tell him that. 

You’ve got to have some secrets, right?

You hear him before you see him, that giant has never learnt how to be quiet and even on grass he crunches his way towards you. Your eyes close behind your sunglasses but you feel him drop next to you, warm limbs pressing up against yours. It’s too warm but you won’t move, won’t disrupt the connection between you. His lips are cool anyway, when he presses them repeatedly to yours as he mouths _‘love you’_ against your skin. Little pushes of flesh, wet and cool and it’s too stickily warm to move but you do it anyway to brush your fingers down his clammy cheek.

You think you could spend the rest of your life touching Ian Gallagher. You think you might just do that. 

You open your eyes, pull your sunglasses off and look at the man next to you. He really is a sight to behold, hair glistening in the sun, skin damp from perspiration. You’ve never loved as hard as this and you don’t think you ever would again. You hope you never have to try.

“Hey Mick, look what I got given today.” He lifts the book in his hands and you snort slightly at the title.

“ _Spanish for Dummies_? Whoever gave you that, you think they were trying to tell you something maybe?” You’re jesting, he knows that but he taps you on the knee with the book anyway. 

“Shut up.” He laughs, your heart feels full. “Can’t all be bilingual at the drop of a hat.”

“Fuck do you mean, at the drop of a hat? Had Damon teaching me that shit for years. Had to have something else to do besides work out in there.” You grin. Your time in prison isn’t always as easy to talk about as this but its been long enough that the feeling usually passes quickly.

Ian smiles before resting back, half against you and the tree. He starts flipping through the book, eyes scanning the pages as he rests his head on your shoulder. Content. Happy. At peace. These are new feelings that you’re slowly starting to come to terms with. You press your lips to Ian’s hair as he mouths some words out loud, butchering the pronunciation. 

You love him. This fool that followed you when you were so certain he wouldn’t. Who has fucked up in ways that caused you pain that you didn’t quite think you’d be able to bare, but you did. Who forgave you for shit that you don’t think you’ll ever forgive yourself for. You love him. 

Your lips start to spill words from your heart in a language not your own.

“Te amo, tanto. ¿Te casarías conmigo?”

It comes out rushed. You hold your breath for a second before exhaling against Ian’s hair as he sits up, looking at you curiously.

“Huh? What’s that mean?” 

His green eyes are flitting between yours and though he doesn’t know what the words mean he must see something in your face. His expression softens, curious, open and warm. You smile at him, pick up his hand and press your lips to the back of it. 

You mean every word you say, but you don’t translate for him. Not yet. There’ll be time for that.

“Nevermind. C’mon---” You stand, dragging him with you as you pull him back towards your little house, fingers lacing together as he jogs the couple of steps to walk side by side with you. “---think there’s still some of that weird mango custard you made we can have for dinner.”

You turn and smile at each other as you wander into your home through the open porch door.

Together. 

***

_”If they stop us, my names still Mickey. Chicks are called Mickey, right?”_

_You hear Mickey open the passenger door as you stare at the border crossing, watch the dogs circle the next car going through._

_“Alright, you’re driving.”_

_You turn then, watch as Mickey stands by the car, surprisingly steady on those heels. He squints at you for a second, moves back and closes the passenger door. You don’t give him chance to move, striding over in a couple of paces before you grab him by the hips, press him up against the car._

_“What’s the matter with yo---”_

_You cut him off with your mouth, kissing him deeply as your tongue rubs against the back of his teeth. You feel his hands reach up to cup the sides of your face, fingers brushing gently against your hairline as he pushes his lips back against yours, presses his tongue deeper into your mouth. You kiss him like you’re never going to kiss him again, like you could kiss him forever. You want to kiss him every day forever. You pull back and you’re both so close, your noses are brushing. Neither of you wants to pull away._

_“I love you.” You say it with such conviction because you want him to know, **need** him to know you’ve never meant anything more. _

_You watch as he blinks rapidly at you for a second, you implore him with your eyes. I love you, I love you, I love you, they tell him. You know the moment he chooses to accept it when those full lips tip up at the sides in such a soft smile it makes you want to weep._

_He presses his lips to yours shortly, gently as he runs his fingertips against your stubbly cheek. He grins. “Then get in the fucking car.”_

_You smile, so wide you’re sure it’s all teeth. You’re overcome for a second, pressing your face into his neck. He holds you, squeezes you reassuringly and you know this is it. This is right. This is what you should never have let go of, what you should’ve kept fighting for, all along._

_This is the love of your life._

_You pull back, jog around to the driver’s side as Mickey gets in the passenger seat and tugs the wig onto his head. You want to make a smart ass comment about just quite how much it kind of suits him but you’ve got a border to cross and a fugitive to keep safe._

_You put the car into drive._

**Author's Note:**

> ~~I, sadly, do not speak or have a great working knowledge of Spanish so I relied on a translator but it should be read/interpreted as:~~   
>  ~~"Te amo, tonto. ¿Te casarías conmigo?” = 'I love you, you fool. Will you marry me?' So hopefully we got somewhere close to that.~~   
> 
> 
> [Kristinalockedthetardis](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Kristinalockedthetardis/pseuds/Kristinalockedthetardis) has very kindly corrected the Spanish for me, thank you very much! Beautiful language that I wish I knew, but alas! Also, tried my best to put a positive spin on the border scene (oh look, there's my broken heart on the floor) so hopefully that came somewhere close. I'm sorry though >_<
> 
> [tumblr :)](https://matchst-ck.tumblr.com/)


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